A Remarkable Story
Mónica Comer
Meet Mónica
There’s something powerful about being in a space intentionally designed for women to learn, lead, and grow without distraction. Salem gives you something that matters more now than ever: the unshakeable confidence that women can do anything.
It’s been 22 years since Mónica Comer graduated from Salem College as a proud member of the class of 2004. She didn’t plan to pursue a career in public education, but, looking back, it’s hard to imagine her doing anything else. She is deeply passionate about her role guiding students as the principal of Walkertown Middle School and was recently named as Forsyth County’s Principal of the Year. “I left Salem as a Communications and Spanish major, not an educator. But education found me anyway, and I was ready for it because Salem had already taught me how to be a lifelong learner. That’s the gift. Education was not what I went to school for, but it is absolutely what I live for now. Salem planted seeds that bloomed in ways I never expected,” she reflected.
I didn’t follow the career path I originally imagined for myself. Life had other plans. But what Salem gave me was something more durable than a career roadmap: it gave me confidence. The kind of confidence that says, “Whatever direction this life takes you, you can handle it. You can learn. You can adapt. You can grow.”
Mónica’s heart was captured by Salem College the moment she walked on the campus for the first time. “The moment I set foot on those grounds, I felt it. It felt less like a school and more like a place where something meaningful was going to happen,” she said. She thrived both academically and socially, and she is still very close with the friends she made at Salem, some of whom are fellow Forsyth County educators.
Salem has a way of creating community that goes far deeper than shared classes or shared dorms. It creates shared purpose, and the people you find along the way become part of your story for good.
Her favorite Salem College tradition was Fall Fest, and she loved the way it brought the entire community together. She hopes current and future students will keep the tradition alive and said, “It wasn’t just about the competition; it was about the energy, the sisterhood, the way everyone showed up and gave everything they had. We were proud. There’s something about a shared victory like that, the preparation, the laughter, the late nights, and then the moment it all pays off, that bonds people in a way that’s hard to explain unless you were there. That memory still brings a lot of joy.”
Although Mónica didn’t originally plan on pursuing a career in public education, the strong academic foundation and mentorship she experienced at Salem College paved the way for her. When reflecting on the relationships she had with her professors, she said, “They didn’t just teach their subjects; they invested in the people sitting in their classrooms. That kind of mentorship is rare, and it leaves a mark. I carry what they poured into me even now, years into my own career in education. In many ways, the way they showed up for me shaped how I try to show up for my own students and staff today. It’s not just about what I learned in the classroom. It’s about what kind of woman I became while I was there. The resilience, the voice, the sense that I had something worth contributing. I carry all of that into every decision I make as a principal today.”
Mónica’s advice for current and future Salem College students is both practical and heartfelt: “There will be moments when it’s hard. When you’re tired, when you question your choices, when the finish line feels far away. Stick with it anyway. You are building something in yourself that will carry you for the rest of your life, and you don’t always get to see it while you’re in it. But also, please have fun. Make the memories. Show up for Fall Fest. Stay up too late with the people who are going to be your people forever. Salem is not just a degree; it’s an experience. Don’t sleepwalk through it.” Mónica’s passion for Salem College and educating Forsyth County students speaks to the powerful difference Salem and its community have made in her life. And it’s evidence that the investment her professors made in her over twenty years ago continues to grow.
Salem College gave me the confidence that I could do anything and be anybody I put my mind to. That might sound simple, but don’t underestimate it. Confidence is the engine. When you believe in yourself, you take risks. You raise your hand. You say yes to opportunities that scare you a little. Salem built that in me.